I am looking at getting a new rear tire for my bike,its will be my 4th tire,have just about 14000 on this tire.
Where do you go for tires? Online dealer or moto shop? some riders have switched over to using car tires on the rear of my model bike not sure if this is a good solution to short tire life for the rear.
Stay safe n enjoy the ride all !!!

i ordered a rear tire for the wifes sporty on blackhawkcustoms.com-- through aafes- military- tax free and discounted- think it was just at 100 bones- i got a guy here who will swap it out- that seems to be an issue for some shops- they wont swap out a tire unless you buy it through them- good luck

I've always bought the dealership's tire .. mostly as a way of supporting the local dealer so there will be local dealerships. But a few folks that I ride with have switched over to a car tire for the rear to get better mileage for their bucks. I'm seriously considering it too but I'm not comfortable with the idea of having a tire shop guy who is used to dismounting car tires working on dismounting the rear tire on my bike. Totally different mechanics there.
I've gotten 15K out of a rear tire. And, I've gotten a lousy 10K with a rear tire. But even the better mileage seems pretty lame to me. I am gonna hafta consider a car tire for the rear .. and find a really good tire shop to mount something on my bike.

As the milage racks up on the bike I've looked around and only found two place to get tires for the Newer Harley touring bikes, The first is the HD shop, and the second is J & P online. When shopping for a tire check with the local repair shop to see if they will switch it out (dabonman02 made a good point) and second if you go with a local shop or anywhere check the manufactured date. You don't want a tire that been sitting around for a couple of years. I think I remember a older post that had how you could tell what the tire codes on the side mean. One of them is the year.

Motorcycle superstore is a good place for tires. They move a lot, so you get fresh and they have dealers they recommend to install them. You can purchase it from them and have it shipped to the installer if you wish. I still use them for the front tires but have gone "Darkside" for the rear tire.

Here in SoCal, I live real close to Chaparral Motorsports and you just can't beat their prices. Second choice is J&P Cycles web site, if I happen to be ordering enough stuff to get FREE shipping, but that does not happen often as I think that kicks in at $300. Dennis Kirk web site, same deal as J&P, prices are a bit higher but they offer free shipping with purchase over $100 so that works for me with a tire.

As for your mileage, getting 10K miles out of a rear tire is pretty typical with the stock Dunlap. You go with a softer Avon or Metz, you'll get significatly less miles and of course if you are hard on the throttle and breaks, you'll eat them up pretty quick as well.

I ride 2 up on a bagger 99% of the time, often loaded, I'm pretty easy on both the throttle and brakes and I consistently get 9-10K miles on the stock Dunlop on the rear, better than 30K in the front. Talking to most of my buddies that ride similar to me, they get about the same. I'm nost sure I've heard anyone getting 15K plus out of a rear tire, unless maybe they rode it down to the cord.

The big savings is in taking your wheel off and putting it on yourself, instead of letting the dealership do it. They'll change your tire, if you bring them in the wheel...at least the good one will. I've brought the wheel and a new tire to my dealership and they've changed it for me.

As for "OLD RUBBER"...I'm thinking that is a bit of an old wives tale. Today's rubber is pretty damn good and unless you set them out in the sun for years, not much can really hurt them. If the shelf life was an issue, you can bet your ass that DOT would have expiration dates stamped on tires.

Hope this helps a bit.

I love to save money, but at the same time convenience and loyalty are important too. I have gotten just about every tire at a local independent shop - Grand Prix. They specialize in tires so their inventory rotates quickly. Plus they offer good customer service. If you make an appointment they are ready for you and your tire is installed before you can finish looking at the after market parts in their store! I could probably save a buck or two ordering tires online, but like I said these guys have treated me right every time I see them, and they will continue to get my business because of it.

Interesting article but I still won't buy into the hype myself. Yes, it's true, rubber will age in time but honestly, any DOT approved tire (which is any tire sold in the USA I belive) is such that it will last far far longer than a tire will ever sit on a shelf. Tire compounds are made to withstand the harshest of environments, from freezing temps to blazing heat (not just road and ambient heat, but heat created by way underinflation), they are reasonably chemical resistant and can withstand a ton of UV expsosure, that's how they keep us safe. None of these factors will be seen sitting on the top shelf of a warehouse.

There are about 10,000 things I'd look at in buying a tire before I'd give though to how long it's sat around.....but that's just me...  As stated in my last post, if it were remotly an issue, tires would have an expiration date on them....plenty of do gooder organizations looking out for us......

is this "car tire on the rear" a new thing? ive never heard of anybody doing that until i read this forum- i guess tits news to me-

. I buy online

I get Valkyrie tires from Honda Direct Line (links to VTX1300 store). They have the best price and are easy to deal with.

I go to American Motorcycle Tire for tires for wife's 750 Magna and my VT600 Shadow. 

I carry the wheels in to a custom shop to have the tires mounted. 

Valkyrie riders have been going "darkside" with car tires, for quite a while,  and some swear by them.
I've ridden only  one Valk with a car tire and it handled like a wheelbarrow.

Its not a new thing, a lot of metric riders are switching over as the cost for replacing a rear tire every 12-15 thousand miles starts adding up over the life of the bike & the down time involved & hassle when changing out the MT. I have been researching this myself yet I feel like for the amount of riding that I do,I can deal with changing out a MT ovr the CT,my current MT lasted just about 3 years.The CT deal has been tried n tested by a lot of riders on my model of bike,already there are guys out there with 20-30 thousnd on these tires n have had no complaints.A couple of folks on this board have them on.Maybe some of those folks will chime in.

Looks like the best deal on a new rear is at Rockymountainatvmc dot com,still I have a few days to decide n a bit of rubber left,yet I hate waiting till the last minute.Still going to keep looking too.

Got to agree with fiddlemike on the car tire thing. Motorcycle tires are made to roll up on the sides when you turn, car tires are not. I had a bobber that had a car tire on it and I just assumed it handled bad because of the reduced suspension and a few other changes. Once I put a bike tire on it WOW what a difference.

I also agree with Lucky on the buying tires local, just for convenience. Just seems like going on line ordering the tire and having it delivered. Then you got to get your bike and the tire to the shop... not sure I want to carry a tire on the bike. I go to my local guy during lunch, go next door for a burger and come back when its ready!

not to sound like i am made of money cuz i'm not but to me the issue is why be upset over getting 10 to 12 thousand miles out of a rear tire? look at it this way thats 10 to 12 thousand miles you got to spend on your bikei will happily spend the bucks when i need to for that experience...

Go online & shop the h' out of the subject. - Research what tires give you what in terms of wear & handling. - Ask specific questions here & other boards then search out the best prices, give a local guy a chance to get within 10% of the online price
Uly eats rear tires, 8K on a Pirelli (sp?) is best to date. - Now have Michelin (sp?) "Road Pilot 2's" - Great tires on the road but definitely compromised on dirt & gravel

Thanks everyone for the input,been doing a lot of online shopping n still need to price match with some local shops,tho my experience has been that the local shops charge anywhere from 10-20% more.. I did find a local tire guy who has some really reasonable prices for changing out the tire,$20 for bringin in tire n rim,$40 if you bring in the bike,includes balancing too.
looks like dennis kirk had the best online deal,tho a couple of other sites matched their price.
stay safe n enjoy the ride !!

Pay the 10% more to help somebody local - and make it clear you are paying 10% more to help them.

BUT finding tires suited to your riding & riding style is MUCH more important than the price. - I have gone thru a rear tire in <3K miles, and had a really dicey riding experience for the last 500 miles. - Dunlop tire to be specific - Weid thing was, the fron tire lasted most of 12K miles & was the best rain tire ever.

Dunlops,the oem for my bike are not top of the line yet for the $$$ on my bike I dont have much issue with em.Maybe if I bought high end tires I would notice the difference between them,as for now I am just struggling to make ends meeet..lol..once I find some serious employment I'll consider more options.I am curious tho if any others have gone with the expensive rubber only to return to the oem rubber..??